Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen speaks Thursday afternoon during the heroin campaign at the Dudley Tower in downtown Wausau.

Written by

Shereen Siewert
Daily Herald Media

Marathon County officials will use a $25,000 grant awarded this week by the Wisconsin Department of Justice to educate young people about the dangers of heroin, as use of the deadly drug continues to spread in central Wisconsin.

The award was announced at a news conference Thursday at the Dudley Tower in downtown Wausau, where Wausau Police Chief Jeff Hardel and several other local and state leaders spoke to about 50 people. Hardel said his officers have dealt with heroin-related issues nearly every day during the last two years, with 224 incidents reported since September 2011.